


for reasons wretched and divine

by anneweaver



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), definitely out of love, partially out of spite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-20 19:23:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18998956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anneweaver/pseuds/anneweaver
Summary: Despite all evidence to the contrary, Bucky still says he wouldn't marry Sam.Sam decides to prove him wrong.





	for reasons wretched and divine

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Jackie and Wilson, by Hozier. 
> 
> Technically post-Endgame, though there's not any actual spoilers in the fic.
> 
> Unbeta'd.

In retrospect, Sam realizes the great majority of his relationship with Bucky has happened entirely out of spite.

Even when their reluctant friendship had turned into an even more reluctant courtship that had, both thankfully and not, turned into a reluctant relationship, Sam cannot remember for the life of him _one_ single milestone that had happened organically after a serious discussion (or, at the very least, not without an absurd amount of competitiveness as fuel).

This fact had never been brought to his attention until now, when Bucky and him were incessantly arguing about the outcome of a minor mission; Scott, still riding the high of his recent wedding to Hope, had looked at them from the backseat of their car, back and forth like he was witnessing a thrilling tennis match, and muttered almost imperceptibly: "Christ, you two bicker more than Hope and I do and we're the ones who're actually _married_."

Sam supposes he's right—and, really, this is partially why the sex is so great, cause it's pretty much always make-up sex, so it's not like he _can_ complain—and he would let it go, really, he was going to, but then Bucky snorts from where he's sitting in the passenger seat and says, "oh, _please_ , like I would have him."

See, he can't be blamed for how violently he slams on the brakes.

"What the fuck, Sam!" Scott says, rubbing his shoulder on the spot where the seatbelt dug in, but Sam really can't bring himself to care about the wellbeing of the guy when he's so violently irrevocably fucking _offended_.

"The fuck are you implying?" he asks, and okay, perhaps his voice is more high pitched than it should be, but _how could he_. How could he when just this morning Sam had cooked him bacon and then put his dick in his mouth. The _betrayal_. "We've been living together for a year. You already very much do have me. In fact you had me just this morning, on top of the kitchen island! That we share! 'Cause we live together! _'Cause we are together_!" 

Bucky shrugs and looks away, and Sam doesn't even register Scott's weak "dude, TMI, gross" from the backseat because he swears there's a small smirk tugging at the corners of Bucky's lips and he has never been so _furious_ in his life, not even a year ago when he realized half of his closet had been taken over by Bucky's plain-ass monochrome turtleneck sweaters.

"Well, yeah," Bucky says, and shrugs again, and smirks _again_ , and Sam is very tempted to just undo his seatbelt right this second and wipe that stupid infuriating smirk off his face, "but I'm just saying, you're not exactly husband material. You're barely boyfriend material as it is."

Scott, progressively shrinking into the backseat, wants the earth to swallow him whole; he can see Sam in the driver's seat, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water, and then he crosses his arms before saying, petulantly, a little like Cassie did when she was a toddler, "don't be so smug, Barnes, you know damn well if I asked you to marry me right now you'd be saying yes before I even finished the sentence."

In the passenger seat, he can see Bucky freeze almost imperceptibly... and _yes, there it is,_ Scott thinks. This is _exactly_ how they agreed to go on their first date, then the second, then made their relationship official, then moved in together, then got a pet that wasn't robotic and attached to Sam's retired Falcon suit. He briefly debates whether he should pull his phone out to FaceTime Hope so she can see what's happening, and then quickly decides against it when he catches a glimpse of Bucky's face through the rearview mirror. 

Because now it's Bucky's turn to frown, though his face is less incensed and more pensive, almost like he's genuinely considering what Sam just said. 

Christ. 

"I absolutely would not, Wilson," he says anyway, though it sounds weak even to his own ears, especially when he turns his head the other way; accuracy of the statement or not, there was no way he was going to prove Sam right. 

"You know you would, don't lie to yourself, you _loooove_ me," Sam sing-songs, and starts unbuckling his seatbelt, " _you love me and you want to marry me._ "

"Shut up, Sam, just start fucking driving."

"No," Sam says, and then he legitimately kneels on his seat and grabs Bucky's left hand, tugs at it. "Now you're making me prove you wrong."

"You don't have to prove anyone wrong, Sam, let's just go," Bucky sighs, still avoiding Sam's gaze and looking out the window.

"No, babe, I want you to admit you'd say yes if I asked you to marry me right now," Sam says, tugs again at his hand, and yes, this is definitely Scott's cue to go stroll down the quantum realm for a little while.

"Cool, 'cause I want you to put on your fucking seatbelt and drive, Wilson," Bucky argues, and in the pause that follows is when both him and Sam realize, almost simultaneously, that _holy shit_ , this is happening. This is definitely happening, right now, they're about to get engaged.

 _Fuck me_ , Sam thinks, _and I didn't even get him a ring._

He swallows hard, every cell on his body acutely aware of the sudden mood shift in the car, and then squeezes Bucky's hand three times, the way they usually do when there's other people around and they want to reassure each other or simply remind each other that, yes, they were together and they love each other; he hasn't even noticed that Scott is no longer on the backseat and now it's just the two of them, alone in their little car, on the precipice of something monumental.

"Prove me wrong," Sam says, and all of the cockiness is gone from his voice now; it sounds like he's pleading now, like he wants Bucky to tell him they haven't spent the past two years building towards this moment whether they knew or not, and like he knows very well it would destroy him if Bucky actually said no. "Tell me you don't want to marry me."

Bucky finally turns to look at him, and damn, his eyes are fucking _shining_ and Sam loves him so much, so fiercely, so all-encompassing, he would be shaking if both of his hands weren't so tightly closed around Bucky's hand, and for a moment he's glad he can't feel pain on his metal arm because he knows he'd be complaining if he could feel him.

"What if I did tell you that I don't want to marry you?" Bucky asks, more out of curiosity than anything else, Sam can tell; he's practically expecting a positive answer at this point, but he still leans in even closer. 

"Then I'll spend every damn day from now on trying to be worthy of a yes," Sam replies, simply, and shrugs. 

"Well, I… I can't tell you that," Bucky finally admits, his voice small. Sam's still leaning forward and kneeling on the driver's seat and fine, so maybe this isn't a traditional proposal, he's not even on one knee, but they've never been traditional anyway and it's not like it matters when he can see so clearly the answer in Bucky's face.

"Then marry me," Sam finally says, and his voice somehow comes out strong even though he very much feels like he's about to faint. Bucky is silent and, fuck, he knows the answer is pretty much a given, but the silence is still so incredibly unnerving that Sam has to tug at his arm again. "What do you say? Wanna marry me?"

When Bucky finally speaks, it comes out as a happy sigh.

"Fine. I'll marry you."

Sam finally closes the small gap between their bodies and cradles Bucky's face with his hands, infinitely soft, and kisses him on the lips once, twice, then a third time, before he leans his forehead against his fiancé's. 

Fiancé. That's his _fiancé_ whose face he's holding. 

Fuck. 

"Thank you," he whispers, mostly because he can't trust that his voice won't come out in the form of a sob if he speaks any louder. Bucky brings his right arm to touch Sam's face with his fingertips.

"I know you're just glad you were right," he jokes, and swallows Sam's laugh with another kiss. 

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written in like 6 months and suddenly I word-vomited this entire thing in like half an hour cause I was suddenly stricken by the idea that these two would only get engaged out of spite and competitiveness. God, I adore them and I'm so excited for their Disney+ show (even though I already know there will be no bickering proposals, sadly). 
> 
> This is fully unbeta'd and posted from my phone so I apologize for any formatting errors.


End file.
